Real-Life Decision Making -- Solution
You wait for the equipment.
You decide to play it safe and wait for the breathing equipment. While you wait, you notice the wind is still blowing to the northwest. You're frustrated because you know you could be getting at the fire, but you continue to wait.
The equipment arrives and everyone starts to work. Almost as soon as you start, the wind shifts again and starts to blow the gas right at you and your team.
You're glad you played it safe. If you'd decided to go ahead without the breathing equipment and the wind shifted a bit sooner, you'd all have been in big trouble.
Generally, oil well fire specialists must be decisive. "We have zero tolerance for errors in this business," says Bill Mahler. He is an oil well fire specialist.
If oil well fire specialists make a wrong decision, it can significantly hurt the bottom line. "We are talking about tens of thousands of dollars being poured out of the ground in a blowout situation, so the quicker the decision, the better off everybody is." A wrong decision can also significantly hurt the natural environment. And if that happens, everybody loses.